Barkhausen avalanches in anisotropic ferromagnets with 180 degrees domain walls

The critical Barkhausen avalanches in thin random-field ferromagnets with an open boundary

The interplay between the critical fluctuations and the sample geometry is investigated numerically using thin random-field ferromagnets exhibiting the field-driven magnetisation reversal on the hysteresis loop. The system is studied along the theoretical critical line in the plane of random-field disorder and thickness. The thickness is varied to consider samples of various geometry between a two-dimensional plane and a complete three-dimensional lattice with an open boundary in the direction of the growing thickness. We perform a multi-fractal analysis of the Barkhausen noise signals and scaling of the critical avalanches of the domain wall motion. Our results reveal that, for sufficiently small thickness, the sample geometry profoundly affects the dynamics by modifying the spectral segments that represent small fluctuations and promoting the time-scale dependent multi-fractality. Meanwhile, the avalanche distributions display two distinct power-law regions, in contrast to those in the two-dimensional limit, and the average avalanche shapes are asymmetric. With increasing thickness, the scaling characteristics and the multi-fractal spectrum in thicker samples gradually approach the hysteresis loop criticality in three-dimensional systems. Thin ferromagnetic films are growing in importance technologically, and our results illustrate some new features of the domain wall dynamics induced by magnetisation reversal in these systems.

Wavelet transforms in a critical interface model for Barkhausen noise

We discuss the application of wavelet transforms to a critical interface model which is known to provide a good description of Barkhausen noise in soft ferromagnets. The two-dimensional version of the model (one-dimensional interface) is considered, mainly in the adiabatic limit of very slow driving. On length scales shorter than a crossover length (which grows with the strength of the surface tension), the effective interface roughness exponent zeta is approximately 1.20 , close to the expected value for the universality class of the quenched Edwards-Wilkinson model. We find that the waiting times between avalanches are fully uncorrelated, as the wavelet transform of their autocorrelations scales as white noise. Similarly, detrended size-size correlations give a white-noise wavelet transform. Consideration of finite driving rates, still deep within the intermittent regime, shows the wavelet transform of correlations scaling as 1/f(1.5) for intermediate frequencies. This behavior is ascribed to intra-avalanche correlations.

Magnetization reversal in spin patterns with complex geometry

We study field-driven dynamics of spins with antiferromagnetic interactions along the links of a complex substrate geometry, which is modeled by graphs of a controlled connectivity distribution. The magnetization reversal occurs in avalanches of spin flips, which are pinned by the topological constraints of the underlying graph. The hysteresis loop and avalanche sizes are analyzed and classified in terms of the graph's connectivity and clustering. The results are relevant for magnets with a hierarchical spatial inhomogeneity and for design of nanoscale magnetic devices.

Dimensional crossover and universal roughness distributions in Barkhausen noise

We investigate the dimensional crossover of scaling properties of avalanches (domain-wall jumps) in a single-interface model, used for the description of Barkhausen noise in disordered magnets. By varying the transverse aspect ratio A=L(y)/L(x) of simulated samples, the system dimensionality changes from two to three. We find that perturbing away from d=2 is a relevant field. The exponent tau characterizing the power-law scaling of avalanche distributions varies between 1.06(1) for d=2 and 1.275(15) for d=3, according to a crossover function f(x), x identical with (L-1x)(phi)/A, with phi=0.95(3). We discuss the possible relevance of our results to the interpretation of thin-film measurements of Barkhausen noise. We also study the probability distributions of interface roughness, sampled among successive equilibrium configurations in the Barkhausen noise regime. Attempts to fit our data to the class of universality distributions associated to 1/f(alpha) noise give alpha approximately 1-1.1 for d=2 and 3 (provided that suitable boundary conditions are used in the latter case).

Precursory dynamics in threshold systems

A precursory dynamics, motivated by the analysis of recent experiments on solid-on-solid friction, is introduced in a continuous cellular automaton that mimics the physics of earthquake source processes. The resulting system of equations for the interevent cycle can be decoupled and yields an analytical solution in the mean-field limit, exhibiting a smoothing effect of the dynamics on the stress field. Simulation results show the resulting departure from scaling at the large-event end of the frequency distribution, and support claims that the field leakage may parametrize the superposition of scaling and characteristic regimes observed in real earthquake faults.

Finite driving rates in interface models of Barkhausen noise

We consider a single-interface model for the description of Barkhausen noise in soft ferromagnetic materials. Previously, the model was used only in the adiabatic regime of infinitely slow field ramping. We introduce finite driving rates and analyze the scaling of event sizes and durations for different regimes of the driving rate. Coexistence of intermittency, with nontrivial scaling laws, and finite-velocity interface motion is observed for high enough driving rates. Power spectra show a decay approximately omega(-t), with t<2 for finite driving rates, revealing the influence of the internal structure of avalanches.

Experimental observation of disorder-driven hysteresis-loop criticality

We have studied the effect of magnetic disorder on the magnetization reversal process in thin Co/CoO films. The antiferromagnetic CoO layer allows a reversible tuning of the magnetic disorder by simple temperature variation. For temperatures above a critical temperature T(c), we observe a discontinuous magnetization reversal, whereas smooth magnetization loops occur for T<T(c). Our measurements establish the existence of a disorder-driven critical point in the nonequilibrium phase diagram. In addition, we observe scaling behavior in the vicinity of the critical point and determine the critical exponents beta = 0.022+/-0.006 and betadelta = 0.30+/-0.03 for this two-dimensional system.